Pressurized extensible seals



Filed Aug. 6, 1956 K. A. KLINGLER PRESSURIZED EXTENSIBLiE'Z SEALS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1y INVENTOR.

KHRL H. KLM/EER Jan. 27, 1959 K. A. KLINGLER l2,870,638

PRESSURIZED EXTENSIBLE SEALS Filed Aug. e, 1956 s sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR.v Kmq/ Fl'. KL/NEER Jan. 27, 1959 K. A. KLINGLER 2,870,638

PREssURIzED EXTENSIBLE SEALs Filed Aug. 6,' 195e 3 sheets-sheet :s

INVENTOR.

KF/R'L H. Kl INEE/11 f/Mwf UnitedStates arent PRESSURIZED EXTENSIBLE SEALS Karl A. Klingler, Naperville, lll.

Application August 6, 1956, Serial N o. 602,251

Claims. (Cl. 74'18.2)

The present invention relates to an improved exten sible seal for providing a leak-proof seal between relatively reciprocable members, for example a reciprocating v shaft or conduit and a surrounding wall of a casing associated therewith.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an extensible seal in the form of a double walled Sleeve which can be readily applied inl a small space between relatively reciprocable members and thereafter inliated to provide a wide pressurized contact area with the adjacent walls of both said reciprocable members and which, in addition to providing a leak-proof seal between said members, serves to maintain them in longitudinal axial alignment for all operative positions of the parts and to hold them in the spaced apart relation so as to avoid frictional contact and consequent wear of the parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved constructions in extensible seals of this general type, whereby the sealing member is automatically inflated by a liquid or other fluid contained under pressure in one of said relatively movable members.

A further and more specilic object of the invention is to provide a sealing means for relatively reciprocable members which will automatically compensate for any misalignment of the parts and which will provide an effective seal between the parts associated therewith without requiring machining of the parts.

According to the present invention the improved seal comprises aresilient sleeve of elastomeric material formed with a medial rib portion for attachment to one of the relatively reciprocable members. The outer ends of the sleeve are formed with circular beads in the nature of O-rings and are adapted, upon reversing the end portions and drawing them rearwardly to overlap the medial portion of the sleeve, to iit snugly into abutting sealing engagement with each other within a channel formed `in the other relatively reciprocable member. The reversed ends of the sleeve imparts to it a double wall construction defining an enclosed chamber adapted to receive a pressure uid to expand the sleeve and thereby press the side walls thereof into irm sealing engagement with both of the relatively reciprocable members.

The pressure fluid for inllating the sleeve enters the pressure chamber through one or more one-way resilient valves constructed by forming a small slit or slits in the medial portion of the sleeve. The walls of the sleeve at the entrance end of such slits are V-shaped so that the pressure of tluid pressing against the V-shaped walls of the 'groove 59 tends to open the slits in a direction to permit fluid to enter into the pressure chamber of the sealing member. The opposite wall of the seal in the region of the valve slits is provided with resilient lips surrounding the slits whereby the internal pressure in the sleeve tends to hold the valve closed to prevent leakage ofy pressure therethrough.

' Other objects'and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will become readily apparent from the following description of one preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a valve structure embodying my improved extensible seal; l

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section similar to that shown in Fig. l but illustrating the parts thereof in different positions;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional. view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; p

Fig. 4 is an end view of the valve structure looking from the right of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 isa fragmentary View, in elevation, of one-halfl of a sectional operating wheel shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view throughy a sleeve element as initially constructed;

Fig. 7 illustrates the same sleeve member with its opposite ends partially turned back upon the medial portion and representing one step in the manufacture of the sleeve;

Fig. 8 shows the improved sleeve of the present iuvention formed in readiness for its installation in the assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of a further enlargement of portions of the relatively reciprocable members and portions of the improved seal ymember located in its operative position between said reciprocabley members; and

Fig. l0 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but illustrating the manner in which pressure fluidis delivered into the sealing member through a pressure opened slit passageway formed in a side wall of the sealing member.

The improved extensible seal of the present invention is adaptable for use, either with or without modilication, in many situations. For the purpose of illustration, it is shown herein as embodied in a valve construction for sealing the space between a reciprocating valve element and a surrounding casing.

The valve construction herein shown may be described generally as including a sectional outer casing 10, a valve member 11, reciprocable relative to the casing, a manually operable means 12 for reciprocating the valve member toward and away from a valve seat, and a seal 13 of the double walled sleeve type, interposed between the valve member 11 and an inner wall of thecasing 10.

The casing comprises three sections 14, 15 and 16 arranged end to end and secured together in axial alignment by bolts 17 and 18. The end sections 14 and 16 are lianged as shown at 17 and 18 for attachment to connecting conduits or other elements not shown.

The casing section 14 is of globe configuration and is formed interio-rly with a valve seat base 2li. This base is formed integrally with the casing section and is of a conical configuration conforming generally to the contour of the inner wall 21 of the casing section. The said valve seat base is secured in spaced relationship to the inner wall of the casing section 14 by means of radially extending ribs 22, so as to provide passageways 23 delining the ow path of fluid around said valve yseat base. A resilient valve seat 24, preferably of elastomeric .material, is fitted to the marginal portion of a circular cap element 25; the cap being attached /to the base portion 20 by means of stud bcltsZ. The resilient seat member 24 is preferably in the formof a ring the outer surface 27 of which conforms to the generalv contour of the upper portion of the wall 21 of the casing section 14. It is formed with a radial flange 2S adapted to vflex into snap lock engagement with the walls of a groove 29 formed in the valve seat cap 25.

The valve member 11 is a hollow cylinder formed with a chamfered end surface 30 for seating against the valve seat" chamber 34; The said valve member 11 is reciprocatedby'actuating' mechanism' 1'2in'to an'd out of 1ts seating engagement with the valve seat 24. This actuating mechanism comprises a hand wheel composed of? two-serni-cir''cularv "parts: 31 andL Sli vv'hichA are secured respectively with channels 39, 40 which connect ateiv (.-FigsLV l and3) to' provide a' spiral/.cam extending entirely around the cylindrical. portion" 37 ofthe intermediate section' of the valvecasing'.` The saidportion po'fethe casing isi also" formedvvirh a pair ofidiam'etrically'opposed guide slots 42; 4,3Y forreceivin'g'and guiding the movementsV of stub' shafts' 44, 45. The inner ends of thesel shaftsY extend; through apertures 46, 47 formed invr the cylindrical valve element' 1'1. They are threaded-orotherwise suitably ir'e'd in saidapertures 46, 47 to provideV leak-proof connections and are locked inl positioniby lock nuts 4S, 49.. The intermediate portions 50, 51, of `the'stub shaftsjare'square incross-section and are slidably positioned in the: saidl guide slots 42, 43; The outerends' of the stub shafts'carr'y rolls 52, 53

which-operate' Within the'spiral groove A39, 4t) formed'in the hub sections 35,36 of the hand'wheel.

willv be' observed that the connected' spiral groove sections 39, 40 function as a spiral cam which cooperates asroes with the; rollers 5.2', 53KV and their' associated stub shafts r 44, 45 to move'thej cylindricalvalve member 11 toward andaway'fromthevalve seat 24 and'ther'eby close and open communicationbet'weenthe' flow passages 23 and thecylindricall passagel through the valve' member 11.`

For example, Icounter clockwise movement' of the hand wheel movesj thejspirallv cam` grooves i'n a' direction to movel the rollers'52, 53 and^c`onsequently-thevalve member 11I tovvardthe'right of Fig. 1. If thehand wheel is moved in said counter clockwisedirec'tion4 toth'e limit of r its`-movement,rfor example-one-'halflrevolution, the valve 11 willI assume its fully openp'o'sition shovvni'n Fig. 2. Rotationv of thehand Wheelin a' clockwise direction from its positionVA shown1 in Fig;Y v2'moves` the valve member 11' tovvardl the valve4 seat 24` to restrict or entirely close the va ve:

`When'thevalve memberlll' is assembled* within the valvecasing, there is` normally a' small clearance 11a between the cylindrical outer surface of'thevalve 11:- and the cylindrical inner faces of the several sections ofthe valve-casing 14, 15vv and 16; The'improved sealing members 13- of the inventionare iiXedly attached tothe' valve member 1-1 and tothe valve casing at the junctions of the casing sections-14, 15 and 17. In some situations one-sealing member may be suflcient. However in the present embodiment, the valve is operated by mechanism extending through unpacked guide slots 42, 43 and therefore requiresa seal member 13'to'be located beyond opposite ends of the slots to prevent leakage of fluid therethrough.

lIn asmuchas both seal members are of identical construction, it Will be sutiicient todescribe the construction of one-member only and identify like parts of'v the othermember with' like reference characters.

Ther illustrative embodiment ofthe improved seal of the present invention, as shown in enlarged` detail in Figs.y 6 to 10 inclusive, comprises a sleeve' member 54 made of resilient elastomeric material. The medial portion of the sleeve memberv is formed with an inwardly extending rib 55 in the form of an outwardly opening channel 56. The internal diameter of' the rib 55 is less than the diameter of the cylindrical. valve member 11 4 Y and consequently must be expanded during its insertion over'the' valve' member: The said` valvem'emberriyproe' vided with a pair of circular channels 57-57 for receiving the rib 55 of its associated seal member 13, 13. Located Within the channel 56 is an outwardly projected rib 5S which extends entirely around the sleeve and the inner face of said rib 55 is provided with a circular V- shaped groove 59 whicliextends entirely around the inner face of the ribvSS. .This groove functions in cooperation with the irnrer'vvalltof the channel 57 as a pressure chamber to be-utilized,as-heretofore explained, to inflate the seal member. Y

The opposite-` end :portion'sof the sleeve froml the medial portion to the ends thereof are? of 1 generalibell-shape con-y figuration. and are provided with terminal beads 60, 61 which function as O-ring sealing members (see Figs.- l, 2 and 9). The sleeve isformed with its double walled constructionbyl reversing the` opposite ends of the sleeve in theV manner 'indicatedjin Figi 7"and"drawing]they beads- 60, 61 into snug( enga'gerrerit witltt` each other' in the" manner.' shown' in" Fig; 8;' The structure' thus formed provides the seal member' with'an inner' Wall62 and an' outer wall 63 which cooperate to dene a'pr'essurecham'- ber 64. The r'ev'er'se'fold over of the' sleeve ends may be performed either before or after" theI sleeve" is applied over the' valve member' 11. D'uringthe" application of' the sleeve to its operative' position' on. the' cylindrical valve member 11', it is 'forced'over'the outer surface of the valve until the internal' rib 55"' snapsinto snug` engagement with the' walls of the channel57: This operation can b'e advantageouslyperformedbeforethevalve member is inserted inthe intermediate section15 of the valve casing. After both' sleeve members1'31--1'35y are applied I to the valvel membcr'l'l andltlie valvev member 'is inserted Within the said casing section 15, the end sections14v and 16o'fA the casingare clamped against opposing` ends of the intermediate section`15iV The"opposi'ng'fa'cesv of the casing sections 14,l 15 and 16L are' formedE with com-I plimentary recesses which', when thel sections of the valve casingare clamped together'as'shovvnbest in Figs. 1', 2 and`9, provide retaining cha-nnels65,` 66 for clamping the beads 60, 61 togetherin'sealin'g' engagement with each otherand with the'opposedsidewalls 67; 68-'of-'the said channels 65, 66. l h

After the doublewalled sleevel is inits-operative posi-v tion between the valve'memberilland'the innerwall ofr the casing. sections 14; 1'5and:I lthesea'l member is ready' to be inflated.' In the embodiment shown 'the pressure for inflat'in'ggthel seal'imember' is obtainedtrom` the pressure' normally maintained Within the' valverrnember 11; Thispressure; of"co'urse'gvwillva'ry for'diiferent installations. However, thefact' thatthe space 11a' be tween the valve 11 and the' inner wall off-the' valve casing is relatively small, high pressures*canbe'utilized'to in'- flate the seal member'A Without danger'ofrupturing the` same. The pressure is directed fromthe'interiory of the valveV member 11 through'one ormore boresI 69 of small diameter formed in` thewall' o f thevalve member 11 andl communicating withu the" vshaped-'groove 59. The ribA 56 is formed with one or moresmall slits-70opposed to the bores 69, which slitor; slitsg, aszthe case may be, function as one-way'valvjes' tof admit pressure uid into the chamber 64. The id pressure contained in the` groove 59l presses against the inclined' walls thereof in a directiontoopen theslits 70f as shownin'Fig. 10'so as to kpermit the `p assage'of pressure uid into the chamber 64. Afterthe chamber. 64' is filledwith'duid,l th'efluidpressure in the' said chamb'er'exerts pressureA against the external faces'71, 72'# offtherib 56'y in a direction to hold theslits`'clos'ed. It" willbe observed' therefore that the slits 70 function'a's one-way valves to admit pressure in'to the chamber'64 butpreven'ts discharge'offpressuretherefrom.

The pressure utilized to inflatethe seals 13, 13 maybe any fluid, liquid orgaseous, containedor passing through 1 5 F l the valve member. The inflation is accomplished automatically during the presence of pressure within the valve structure. The pressure chamber 64 with the seal member'13 is of substantially constant volumetric capacity,

since it extends unobstructed from end to end of the seal member. During the reciprocating movements of the valve 11, there is a proportional shifting of each seal member 11 as a whole but the sealing area remains constant. This condition is obtained by virtue of the fact that there is a rolling or transfer of increments of the inner and outer walls 62, 63 into each other in accordance with the direction of movement of the valve member 11.

The outwardly opening channel 56 in the rib 55 is reinforced transversely by means of a series of rigidifying ribs 56a which serve to prevent undue ilexing of the side walls of the channel 56.

While I have illustrated my invention in connection with one illustrative embodiment, it will be obvious to persons familiar with the art that it may be utilized in numerous situations other than the valve structure herein shown. For example it may be used in situations in which the enclosed reciprocating member is a solid rod or a flexible cable, and the travel of the reciprocating member may be greater or less than shown herein. Furthermore, in situations which do not include pressure sources within the enclosed reciprocating member for inflating the seal member, the automatic pressure actuated valves of the seal members may be located for communication with other internal or external sources of fluid pressure for the purpose of creating the desired pressure for inllating the seal member.

I claim:

1. A pressurized extensible seal comprising, in combination, an elongated tubular sleeve adapted to seal a space between inner and outer relatively reciprocable elements; said sleeve being formed of an elastomeric material and having its opposite ends folded upon itself to provide inner and outer walls defining a lluid chamber, means 6 for clamping said reversely folded end portions together, and valve means for controlling the admission of pressure fluid into said pressure chamber comprising a normally closed slit passageway formed in a flexible side wall of the sleeve and responsive to external uid pressure to open the slit, and flexible lips surround the discharge end of said slit passageway, whereby the internal uid pressure in the sleeve exerts presssure against said lips to hold the slit passageway closed.

2. A pressurized extensible seal assembly as defined in claim l characterized in that one of said relatively reciprocable members is formed with a retaining channel, and in that the sleeve is formed with a channel shaped rib having its open side communication with said pressure chamber and having its external walls engaging the Walls of said retaining channel and further characterized in that said slit passageway is formed in a portion of said channel shaped rib and the flexible lips associated with said slit passageway projects into the channel of said rib.

3. A pressurized extensible seal assembly as defined in claim 2 characterized in that'the walls yof the slit passageway at the fluid inlet end thereof diverge from each other, whereby iluid pressure exerted against the diverging walls opens the slit passageway for the passage of lluid therethrough.

4. A pressurized extensible seal assembly as defined in claim l characterized in that one of said relatively reciprocable elements is comprised of abutting sections secured together in clamping relation with said reversely folded end portions of said sleeve.

5. A pressurized extensible seal assembly as defined in claim 4 characterized in that the sectional element for clamping the reversely folded ends of the sleeve is an outer casing for the inner reciprocatingvelement.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,781,051 Hawley Feb. 12, 1957 

